Process of producing iron phosphid from iron phosphatic material.



H'YLEMAN ALISON WEBSTER, 01E CULUMBIA, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR T0 JOHN J. GRAY, JR, OF ROCXDALE, TENNESSEE.

PROCESS OF PRODUCING IRON PHOSPHID FROM IRON PHOSPHATIG MATERIAL.

I0 Drawin g.

To all whom it may concern I Be it known that 1. I'IYLEMAN unison WEBSTER, a citizen of the United b t. residing at Columbia, in the county oi Maury and State of flenncssec, have invented certain new and useful lnzprnven'ienls in Proceses of Producing Iron Pin. p from Iron Phosphatic Material; and 1 do hereby declare the following ti;- by a full. clear, and exact tltfi-ifillptlun oi? the invention such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates in the DEUt'lHiflMdl of iron phosphid from iron phosphntic 2TH: terial in a suitable rotary kiln or furnace and has for its object to produce a process which will be efiicien't in action and coinparatively inexpensive to carry out.

' With these and other oliijerts in view, the invention consists in the novel steps and combinations of steps constituting the pron-- ess, all as will be more fully hereinafter disclosed and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In carrying out this invention i provide a suitable iron phosphate, either in the form of a natural one or artificially produuwl, and I suitably finely HIXl'S-i'll\l(lU iinsauna and together Willi a suitable quantity of mi, bon,'l[ chat-gr the same into a rotary k31 i M furnace and the charge is ignited for on ample, by an oil blast, a blast of air carrying finely divided carbon, or a flame fed from producer gas, or l'y a combination of two or more of those sources 05 heat. Where the raw material contains any substantial amount of impurities, suitable fins ing materials may be added. and the inipurities thus slaggcd oil.

In order that the precise invention may be the more clearly understood a charge made in accordance with the'i'ollcwing pro portions not taking account of the air and,

carbon admitted to the furnace by the Fuel blast, is suitable for carrying; out this process:

Phosphatic materluL--- Containing Fc-JPOJ A Containing silica 810 Lime stone 1glontainlng (151,0.

fore being fed to the furnace,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 33. 1916.

Patented Apr. 30, 1918.

Serial No. 125,410.

The .[urnace is kept rotating While the flame is playing upon the charge and thus a very intimate contact between the ore and carbon is secured which enables the latter to combine with substantially all the oxygen in the phosphate and to leave behind the combined iron and phosphorus. The reaction till-MPH place, in practice, at temperatures batsmen say 1000 C. and 1500 C. depending: n on the purity and physical winzlition of the charge material.

fwinre the process of necessity must be ca ried out at atmospheric pressure, I find an praclii that only about 22% or 25% 0f plmspheru be retained in the iron. 'l 'he icinaiuag portion of the phosphorus passes oil with the exit gases, and may be uitably recovered the usual way. At the discharge end of the furnace, the slag and iron pliosphid thus produced is passed into water, whereupon the slag becomes granulated, when the finely divided nodular iron phosphid and slag is passed over a Suitable magnetic separator and the iron phosphid rec r cred.

i /"hen it is desired to recover the evolved nun ihat would otherwise escape Y it is only necessary to add charge a sn'flicient quantity of iron finch; divided, whereupon substantia'iiy all the crolvcd phosphorus will appear in the i'erro-phosphorns produced.

This process should be carefully distinguished from a process of producing ferro phosphoum from iron phosphatic material in a blast furnace. in that in this process sulistantially the whole interior of the furnace beconn's lined with incandescent. car hon which acts to remove the combined oxygen. In a blast furnace. on the other hand. a crmsidcrable portion of the carbon is usr-rl in reducing carbon dioxid CO to carbon :umnoxid CO, and it is found to be a fact in a blast furnace that this said CO :Z'as does not reduce the iron phosphate, and therefore lost 'as a (leoxidizing agent. No such conditions are found to obtain in a rotary furnace. Accordhigly, the rotary furnace is found to require a materially less quantity 01" carbon to produce high grade form-phosphorus than does a blast furnace.

It is rlcsirablrin most cases to use a. quantity of carbon in excess of that required to remove all the oxygen from the phose :neraliic state or as an oxid' phatic material in order to insure that no substantial quantity of phos horus is wasted.

It is obvious that those Sillld in the art may vary the details of the rocess without departing from the spirit 0 the invention, andtherefore, I do not wish to be limited to the above disclosure except as may be re quired by the claims.

What I claim is 1. The process of making ferro-phosphorus in a rotary furnace from iron phosphatic material which consists in preparing a suitable sub-divided charge of saidphos- )hatic material, a fluxing material and caron; subjecting said charge to a reducing temperature while maintaining incandescent carbon throughout the charge, and while rotating the same to bring about an intimate contact between the constituents of the charge; and suitably recovering. the ferrohosphorus thus produced, substantially as escribed.

2. The process of making ferro-phosphorus in a rotar furnace from iron phosphatic material w ich consists in pre aring a suitable sub-divided charge of sai phosphatic material, a fluxing material and carbon, said carbon sing in excess of theoretical requirements; subjecting said charge to a reducing temperature while maintaining incandescent carbon throughout the charge, and while rotating the same to bring about an intimate contact between the constituents of the charge; and suitably recovering the ferro-phosphorus thus produced, substantially as described.

3. 'lhe process of making ferro-phosphorus in a rotary furnace from iron phosphatic material which a suitable sub-divided charge of said phosphatic material, a fluxing material and carbon, said carbon being in excess of theoretical requirements; adding to said charge a quantit of iron bearing material to take up any e emental phosphorus which might otherwise pass off with the exit gases; subjecting said char e to a reducing temperature while maintaining incandescent carbon throughout the charge, and while rotating the same to bring about an intimate contact between the constituents of the charge; and suitably recovering the ferrohosphorus thus produced, substantially as escribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of a witness.

HYLEMAN ALISON WEBSTER. Witness;

T. A. VVrrHnasrooN.

consists in preparing 

